Contents

Early Life

Uhura meets Kirk

In 2255, while at the bar near the Riverside Shipyard in Iowa, Uhura met an inebriated Jim Kirk, who began flirting with her. Although annoyed by Kirk's advances, Uhura was surprised that Kirk knew what was involved in the study of xenolinguistics. This exchange led to a bar fight as four male cadets were displeased at the attention Kirk was giving Uhura.

Starfleet Academy

During her time at Starfleet Academy, Uhura specialized in xenolinguistics with tracking toward a communications officer. Commander Spock served as one of Cadet Uhura's instructors and judged her performance to be consistently exemplary.

According to her dossier at the official Star Trek movie website, Uhura originates from Africa and was the Academy aide for the advanced phonology and advanced acoustical engineering courses. She is proficient in 83% of official Federation languages and regional dialects. She was also Vice President of Starfleet Academy's Chorale Ensemble.

In 2258, Uhura was able to detect and translate a message from within Klingon territory indicating that a fleet of 47Klingon vessels around the Klingon prison planet were engaged and destroyed by an unknown Romulan ship. She returned home early that night, interrupting her roommate, at the time an Orion cadet named Gaila, and Kirk, who had been under the bed when she shared the information with Gaila.

At Kirk's request, Uhura was present as communications officer during Kirk's third re-take of the Kobayashi Maru test scenario the following day. After Kirk corrects her, she calls him Captain sarcastically. At the subsequent hearing on Kirk's actions, seated in the row that Commander Spock, the programmer of the Kobayashi Maru test, had vacated and two seats over from an upset Gaila, Uhura was in attendance in the Academy assembly hall when Kirk was accused of cheating.

Spock was in charge of the starship deployment assignments for the cadets of Uhura's graduating class, and had initially assigned Lieutenant Uhura to the USS Farragut, in spite of Uhura's stated desire to serve aboard the USS Enterprise, the new flagship, in order to avoid any appearance of favoritism. Uhura confronted him about this choice, noting that she was more than qualified to serve aboard the Enterprise and that it was unfair to deny her an opportunity she would have gained had they not been romantically involved. Spock relented and assigned her to the Enterprise.

Aboard the USS Enterprise

Aboard the Enterprise, Uhura was approached by Kirk, who had deduced the attack on Vulcan was Romulan in nature, following Pavel Chekov's description of an anomaly described as a "lightning storm in space" that preceded the attack on the day of his birth. She accompanied Kirk to the bridge, where she verified his claims by mentioning that she was the one who translated and intercepted the report of a similar Romulan vessel in Klingon space.

CaptainChristopher Pike promoted Uhura to communications officer because Lieutenant Hawkins, the ship's prior communications officer, was not certain that he could distinguish transmissions in Romulan from transmissions in Vulcan. Uhura, by contrast, was fluent in all three Romulan dialects.

Nyota comforts Spock after the loss of Vulcan and his mother.

After Vulcan's destruction, the personal relationship between Uhura and Spock is revealed when she privately comforts Spock in the turbolift.

In an attempt to gain control of the Enterprise to implement his plan to defeat Nero, Kirk emotionally compromises Spock, causing him to relinquish command. After he leaves, Nyota steps to Kirk and tells him that she hopes he knows what he is doing. Again she calls him Captain, this time, she was hurt, but hopeful.

Before Kirk and Spock beamed to Nero's ship, Spock shared a tender goodbye kiss with Uhura, calling her by her first name, and revealing their relationship in the presence of Kirk and Montgomery Scott. Kirk, who had repeatedly attempted to learn Uhura's first name to no avail throughout the years, asked Spock if "Nyota" was her first name. Spock responded "I have no comment on the matter."

From: “Star Trek Movie Tie-In: Alan Dean Foster”; the novelization of the movie based on the script by Orci&Kurtzman. Uhura modified the translator that she took to Spock on the transporter to be able to be understood by Romulans conversationally.

Although keeping her distance, she came to respect Kirk as captain of the Enterprise. After he gives her a command on the bridge, she turns to him smiling and answered “Aye, Captain”. This time she called him captain sincerely. (Star Trek)

Nyota helps Spock suit up

A year later, Uhura accompanied Spock to Nibiru before he was rappelled from a shuttle into a volcano, to prevent it from wiping out the Nibirans. The ash damaged the shuttle and snapped the wire, forcing Uhura and Sulu to leave him. Uhura swam back to the Enterprise, which was hidden underwater. She was distraught to learn ash from the volcano would prevent the Enterprise from transporting Spock back aboard, and to hear Spock explain he would prefer to die activating the cold fusion device than violate the Prime Directive. Kirk rose the Enterprise from the sea to beam him up, violating the Prime Directive but saving his life.

Later, when the Enterprise was tasked with hunting down terroristJohn Harrison, Uhura expressed to Kirk in the turbolift that she and Spock were having relationship troubles. While on a shuttle to Qo'noS where Harrison was hiding, Uhura and Spock got into an argument, where she accused of him of being too ready to sacrifice himself for a mission and not caring how she would feel if he died. Spock acknowledged that since his mother's death, he had been closing himself to such thoughts about how she would feel since he had experienced those feelings, specifically because he did care.

Uhura stabs the officer in the leg

Suddenly the ship was attacked by Klingons. Kirk tried to lose them but they were surrounded and forced to land. Uhura counseled Captain Kirk that she be allowed to perform her role as communications officer, rather than try to fight their way out of an situation they could not win. She went out to negotiate in Klingonese, requesting their aid in finding Harrison. The Klingon she spoke to grabbed her by the throat, and pulled out a knife, prompting Spock and Kirk to go on the offensive. Uhura grabbed the Klingons knife and stabbed him with it, causing him to drop her after Harrison showed up causing a distraction. After Harrison dispatched the Klingons, surrendered himself into Kirk's custody, and was escorted to the brig, Spock and Uhura share a reconciliatory kiss.

After Harrison revealed he was Khan Noonien Singh, Spock asked Uhura to contact his older parallel universe counterpart on New Vulcan for information. Uhura managed to make contact although the ship was outside of normal range of communication with his location.

As the old Spock warned, Khan betrayed them. When the damaged Enterprise fell to Earth, Kirk reactivated the warp core to prevent it crashing, at the cost of radiation poisoning himself. Uhura came and she, Spock and Scott wept.

Uhura firing repeatedly at Khan

Uhura encouraged Spock to beam down to execute Khan, who had crashed the Vengeance into San Francisco. However, DoctorLeonard McCoy discovered a blood transfusion from Khan could heal Kirk, so Uhura beamed down and fired several shots to stun Khan, saving Spock from having his head crushed by Khan. Spock used the opportunity to gain the advantage in the fight and was set to kill him. Uhura was able to stop Spock by informing him they need Khan alive to save Kirk. Spock then knocked him out instead and took him to sickbay.

When Kirk awoke to his friends Spock and McCoy in the hospital, he acknowledged Spock saving him whereupon McCoy reminded Kirk that he and Uhura had also helped. Almost a year later, Uhura attended a memorial presided over by a perfectly healthy Kirk, for those who died because of the conspiracy. She continued serving on the repaired Enterprise as it embarked on a five-year mission. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

Relationships

Romantic relationships

Spock

Nyota Uhura and Spock had a romantic relationship that was established prior the start of their careers on board the Enterprise[1] . Spock was an instructor at Starfleet Academy, and Uhura was one of his students and at some point the Academy aide for his Advanced Phonology class. [2] The circumstances of the beginning of their relationship is unknown.

The true nature of their relationship is revealed slowly through their interactions with each other, although the first hint that Uhura and Spock know each other comes when he stands as Kirk's accuser in the hearing. She and Gaila are both sitting on the row that Spock gets up from and Uhura's reactions to Spock's accusations are shown. When she is assigned to the Farragut, she finds Spock and presents him with a logical argument for her placement, further evidence that she is familiar with him. He then admits to trying to avoid the appearance of favoritism. Someone knows about their relationship, and he doesn't want anyone to get the idea that it is the reason for her posting on the flagship.

Once aboard the ship, Spock quickly supports and extols Uhura's abilities before Captain Pike. Uhura called him by name and not by rank when he was about to beam himself to the Vulcan surface to rescue his parents and the Vulcan High Council. Ignoring Chekov when he asked Spock where he was going, he stopped to answer Uhura and offered further explanation. Uhura is also visibly upset that he is going.
When Spock gets up from the Captain's chair to leave the bridge, Uhura followed Spock into the turbolift. Alone in the lift, she comforted him with a shared embrace and kisses after Vulcan was destroyed and his mother killed.

After losing control and attacking Kirk, Spock looked to Uhura ashamed of what he'd done. He shared another look with her as he walked off the bridge after giving up command. After his discussion with his father, where Sarek confesses his love for Amanda, Spock informs the crew that Earth was the only home he had left, looking at Uhura.

Spock and Uhura make promises to one another

When he was ready to beam onto Nero's ship he and Uhura kissed on the transporter pad and shared a heartfelt goodbye with promises offered to one another. During their professional interactions, he calls her Lieutenant Uhura, at this moment however, Spock calls Uhura by her first name, Nyota.

When they return to the Enterprise after it has been repaired, Uhura lights up when Spock strides onto the bridge. They share a look as he passes behind her station to reach his own and she smiles. (Star Trek)

Spock and Uhura aboard the Enterprise

On a mission to Nibiru, Uhura helps Spock get into his suit. She kisses his helmet and encourages him. Later, when it is time to release him into the volcano, we see that she is actually upset, however she does not try to dissuade him from his duty. When his line is broken and he falls into the volcano, Sulu apologizes to her, and tells her they will have to try something else.

When she makes it back to the bridge she is visibly upset when Spock states that he will have to remain behind to die, although it does not stop her from responding to Kirk's command.

After the mission to Nibiru, It is revealed that Uhura is upset with Spock, although she seems to be giving Spock the silent treatment. When Kirk later asks if Uhura can speak Klingon and assigns her to the mission, Spock looks at Kirk as if he is not pleased with that decision. Kirk then asks if they can work the mission together, she says they can, Spock watched her return to her station and responds that he is unsure.

She later reveals on a mission that she believes his behavior on missions is too risky and it is distressing that he is willing to sacrifice himself with caring about how it would effect her if she lost him. Spock confided that because he had experienced such profound grief and despair following the loss of Vulcan and the death of his mother, that he closed himself off to the thought of those he cared for experiencing such emotions; this revealed that his problem was not a lack of caring, rather quite the opposite.

Later during the mission, you see that Spock is upset that Uhura is volunteering to face the Klingons alone, although he does not try to stop her. He keeps vigilant watch while she interacts with them and later protects her and Captain Kirk.
After taking Harrison into custody, they reconciled with a kiss.

Spock and Uhura reconcile after apprehending Harrison

When the Admiral first tells them tells them he is going to kill them, Spock leaves his station to go to Uhura's side. When the admiral catches up to them and they are sure they are going to die, and it seems hopeless, Uhura walks to Spock and he holds her hand.

When Spock wanted to speak with his older counterpart, he spoke privately to Uhura at her station, not telling her who he wanted, but she knew anyway.

Later, when Spock wants to go after Khan, he looks to Uhura out of consideration. While Spock chases after Khan, Uhura remains on the Enterprise. When things start to get rough, and Dr. McCoy informs the bridge that Khan is needed alive to possibly save Kirk, both Spock and Khan are moving to quickly to get a transporter lock. However, someone can beam down, so Uhura offers and beams down onto an unstable surface, phaser in hand, to help Spock bring Khan to the Enterprise without killing him. She is shown to have a lot of influence on him; even in his rage at Khan for killing Kirk, she was able to calm him down enough to beam up to the ship.

Friendships

James T. Kirk

Uhura and Kirk's relationship began when he hit on her in a bar in Iowa. She rejected his advances, giving him only the name Uhura, although she did flirt with him a bit. Later, at the Academy, Kirk continues to try to discover her first name. While hiding under her roommate's bed after Uhura had interrupted them, he overhears her talking to Gaila. Kirk tells Uhura that he's interested in the information she learned in the long range sensor lab that she'd shared. She put him out of their room, his clothes in hand.

Kirk asks Uhura to be the communication's officer for his third attempt at the Kobayashi Maru test, though she only sarcastically calls him Captain as he is not taking the test seriously. While attending Kirk's hearing for his solution to the Kobayashi Maru, Uhura appears to be disappointed in him. Later, while on the mission to Vulcan, Uhura confirms that Romulans attacked a Klingon fleet and backs Kirk up when he tries to convince Captain Pike of the possibility of a trap.

Accompanying Kirk results in her being promoted to the Enterprise's communications officer and Kirk is proved to be right, causing Uhura to have helped save the ship. When Kirk provokes Spock, Uhura is upset, but doesn't intervene and is furious with the way that Kirk becomes acting captain. She is the first to refer to Kirk as Captain on the Enterprise, though with obvious reservations. Kirk finally learns her first name when Spock calls her by it, but continues to call her Uhura afterwards. After Kirk's actions save Earth, Uhura officially becomes his Communications Officer on the Enterprise and happily calls him Captain, having grown to respect him. (Star Trek)

In the following year after the Narada attack, Kirk and Uhura seem to have grown closer and developed a close friendship. When Kirk is upset with Spock, he confides in Uhura. She also confides to him that he is not alone in his anger towards Spock and talks to him about her romantic problems with Spock. When Uhura and Spock later argue, they do so in front of Kirk with Uhura telling Spock that Kirk is on her side of the disagreement, a fact which Kirk later confirms. Uhura is able to convince Kirk to allow her to try negotiating with the Klingons when fighting will not work, despite it putting her in mortal danger. While respecting her wishes, when she is in danger, Kirk doesn't hesitate to rush to her rescue. When they discover that they are going to die and Kirk apologizes, Uhura comforts him with a squeeze to the shoulder. When Kirk dies after sacrificing himself to save the ship, Uhura witnesses it and breaks down crying over the death of her friend. Later, Uhura, still tearful, tells Spock to go get Khan, furious about Kirk's death. She also helps save Kirk's life when she stops Spock from killing Khan. (Star Trek Into Darkness)

Memorable quotes

"For a moment I thought you were just a dumb hick who only had sex with farm animals."
"Well, not only."

"I am here to help you. With respect, there is a criminal hiding in these ruins. He has killed many of our people."
"Why should I care about a human killing humans?"
"Because you care about honor. And this man has none."

Appendices

Appearances

Apocrypha

According to her biography on the Star Trek movie app, Uhura was born in 2233 to Alhamisi and M'Umbha Uhura. She has two siblings: a sister, Makena and a brother Kamau. She graduated with honors from the Institute for Advanced Mathematics in 2255 where she then enrolled in Starfleet Academy. She also spent two academic quarters serving aboard the USS Ahriman as a junior communications cadet.

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